The correspondence between temperament and peer interactions for normally developing and mildly delayed preschool children

The correspondence between temperament characteristics based on the Behavioural Style Questionnaire and the peer relations of normally developing and mildly developmentally delayed preschool-age children was examined in this study. Measures of the peer relations of 64 3- and 4-year-old boys were obtained through an analysis of children's social interactions in a series of specially designed playgroups. Maternal temperament ratings were found to be similar for the younger (3-year-olds) and older (4-year-olds) normally developing children as well as for the mildly delayed group (4-year-olds). Multiple regression analyses indicated that maternal-rated temperament dimensions of persistence and activity level were associated in a logical pattern with both the positive and negative aspects of children's peer relations. Issues related to the construct validity and situation-specificity of the temperament measure were discussed.     

A Meta-Analysis of Gender,Smoking Cessation,and Hypnosis:A Brief Communication

Results of a meta-analysis showed that males were more likely to report smoking abstinence than female participants following hypnosis-based treatments for smoking. Across 12 studies that used hypnosis in the treatment of smoking and reported outcome statistics by gender, the authors found that the odds of achieving smoking abstinence were 1.37 times greater for male than female participants. The results are consistent with the nonhypnosis literature suggesting that females have a more difficult time achieving smoking abstinence compared to males.     

Perceived workplace harassment experiences and problem drinking among physicians: broadening the stress/alienation paradigm

Sociologists who embrace the stress or alienation paradigms generally focus on explaining problem drinking in low status occupations. By contrast, this paper argues that a broadened conceptualization of stress and alienation which incorporates abusive work relationships has utility for explaining male and female drinking outcomes in both high and low status occupations. We provide empirical data on the relationship between perceived abusive experiences and drinking outcomes in a cohort of male and female physicians in their internship year of training. The data show that perceived sexual harassment, discriminatory treatment and psychological humiliation relate to various drinking outcomes in men and women, controlling for drinking prior to the internship year. While females were more likely to report experiencing abuse, these perceived experiences had deleterious effects on drinking outcomes for both genders. Personal vulnerability (narcissism) brought into the training environment somewhat influenced the later reporting of abusive experiences by males but not by females. Regression analyses showed that, for both males and females, work-place abusive experiences in interaction with personality vulnerability best explained drinking outcomes. The implications of these results far the design of future alcohol-related work-place studies are discussed.     

Transtelephonic Monitoring and Transmission of Stored Arrhythmia Detection and Therapy Data From an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator

A new transtelephonic monitoring device designed for use with implantable Cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) was evaluated. It is capable of interrogating ICDs and transmitting the following data via telephone: programmed parameters (e.g., ventricular tachycardia [VT] and ventricular fibrillation [VF] detection, therapies), number of VT and VF episodes, identification of successful therapies, the 20 cycle lengths preceding the last episode detected, the 10 cycle lengths after the last delivered therapy, battery voltage, and real-time transmission of the patient's rhythm. Eighteen patients (mean age 64 ± 17years; 15 males) were implanted with an ICD and epicardial lead system. The patients who did not live near the primary hospital were provided with this transmitter and instructed to transmit monthly and whenever presyncope, syncope, or a shock were experienced. Five hundred ten episodes of spontaneous arrhythmia (495 VT, 15 VF) were detected in 14 of 18 patients in a 24-month period and the success of each therapy (antitachycardia pacing, cardioversion 0.4-34 J, defibrillation 34 J) was analyzed. The number of therapies delivered and their success (%) in terminating the arrhythmia were: 380 ramp/86%, 116 burst/84%, 119 cardioversion/57%, and 15 defibrillations/ 100%. Sixty-three (42%) of the 152 transmissions indicated an arrhythmia. Twenty-five (16%) of the 152 were transmitted because of symptoms. Sixteen (9.7%) of 165 VT episodes could not be terminated by the full set of programmed VT therapies. Analysis of the pre- and post-episode intervals along with the patient's transmitted rhythm indicated that sinus tachycardia or atrial fibrillation were likely responsible for these episodes. The transmitted data included the real-time ECG, which provided acute rhythm status plus stored data from the ICDs memory identifying the chronic arrhythmias detected, the therapies delivered, and the number and type of successful and ineffective therapies. This information provided the clinical data to the primary physician in order to determine the effectiveness of the programmed detection and therapy parameters and in some cases recommend to the home physician modifications to the device parameters or medication adjustments for enhanced arrhythmia control. We conclude that telephone transmission of stored ICD data is feasible and useful for patient management. It may obviate the need for patients experiencing symptoms to return to a site capable of device interrogation.     

Cardiac Electrophysiology in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: From Basic Science to Clinical Expression

Cardiac Electrophysiology in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Duchenne muscular dystrophy is an X-linked recessive neuromuscular disorder that involves striated muscle fibers (skeletal, cardiac), smooth muscle Fibers (vasculature), and nervous system (neurons of central brain and cortex). The Duchenne dystrophy gene has been identified on the Xp21 locus of the short arm of the X chromosome. Dystrophin, the protein product of the gene, is present on and limited to myogenic cells in every tissue tested except the central nervous system, and is absent or nearly so in Duchenne dystrophy. However, the function of dystrophin and the pathogenesis of Duchenne dystrophy remain unclear. There is convincing morphological (gross, histologic, ultrastructural) and metabolic evidence (positron emission tomography) that myocardial involvement is found initially in the posterobasal left ventricular wall (cardiac phenotype). This regional localization of myocardial dystrophy is believed to account for the distinctive 12-lead scalar electrocardiogram (ECG). Abnormalities of cardiac rhythm and conduction have been reported in Duchenne muscular dystrophy, but the pathogenesis of the electrophysiologic disturbances has not been established. Two variables are relevant to cardiac electrophysiologic involvement in Duchenne dystrophy: (1) the small vessel coronary arteriopathy (medial hypertrophy, luminal narrowing); and (2) abnormalities that might originate in the specialized cardiac tissues. The role of the coronary arteriopathy is presently speculative, and it is not currently known whether dystrophin is normally present on the cell membrane of normal cardiac specialized tissues, and if so, whether those tissues are dystrophin deficient in Duchenne dystrophy. Animal models (mouse, cat, dog) have shed light on the pathogenesis of skeletal muscle and myocardial involvement, less so on involvement of cardiac specialized tissues. The determinants of calcium homeostasis in dystrophin-deficient myogenic cells (skeletal or cardiac) is unclear, and the relationship between dystrophin deficiency, calcium homeostasis, cellular response and phenotypic expression in skeletal muscle and myocardium is imperfectly understood. The purpose of this report is to bring together current genetic, molecular biological, biochemical, histopathological, and clinical information from human Duchenne dystrophy and from animal models bearing on the electrophysiologic expressions of the neuromuscular disease. (J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, Vol. 3, pp. 394–409, August 1992)     

Identification of Babesia bigemina infected erythrocyte surface antigens containing epitopes conserved among strains

The presence of previously uncharacterized antigens (new antigens) on the surface of intact erythrocytes infected with three strains of Babesia bigemina from Kenya and one each from Puerto Rico, Mexico, St. Croix, and Texcoco-Mexico was demonstrated by indirect immunofluorescent antibody (IFA) reactions. These antigens were not strain specific because antibodies in bovine immune serum to either the Mexico or Kenya isolates reacted with all seven strains tested. Homologous and heterologous immune serum antibodies bound a maximum of 83% and 55%, respectively, of intact erythrocytes infected with the Kenya-Ngong strain but not uninfected erythrocytes. Both sera caused agglutination of only infected erythrocytes. Antibodies eluted from the surface of glutaraldehyde (0.25%) fixed infected erythrocytes had IFA reaction patterns among strains similar to those of immune sera before elation. Eluted antibodies were used to determine if these antigens were protein and encoded by B. bigemina. Eluted antibodies bound seven parasite-encoded proteins of 240, 220, 66, 62, 58, 52 and 38 kDa in an erythrocyte surfacespecific immunoprecipitation reaction of ³⁵-methionine labelled proteins. It was concluded that the surface of B. bigemina infected erythrocytes had parasite-encoded proteins and that these proteins had surface exposed epitopes that were conserved among the seven strains examined which were from two continents.     

Quantitative Hemagglutination Studies in the Rh Blood Group System. I. The Assay of the Anti-D (Rho) Agglutinin

The quantitative hemagglutination technic of Wilkie and Becker has beenmodified for the assay of saline and incomplete anti-D sera. By this method,the relative potencies of anti-D (Rh_o) sera were determined with an averageerror of 29 per cent (95 per cent confidence limits). The effect of duration oftrypsin treatment upon the cell’s agglutination by incomplete antibody wasinvestigated. The sensitivity of the technic in discerning small changes inagglutination was applied to the characterization of the prozone. The presenceof a reversible equilibrium in the D-anti-D system has been established bytwo independent methods.

Accepted on November 20, 1960     

Quantitative Hemagglutination Studies in the Rh Blood Group System. II. A Study of the D (Rho) Agglutinogen

The reactivity of Rh positive red cells with saline anti-D sera has beeninvestigated by means of quantitative hemagglutination methods. The inhibitory effect of C on the D antigen has been confirmed and the possibility ofinhibition by this antigen in the cis position suggested. It is also suggested thatthe e antigen has suppressive effect on D. The presence of companion antigensresults in a -D-> R₂ > R_o > R₁ progression of decreasing agglutinability.Within families differences in the agglutination behavior between homozygousand heterozygous D positive cells were found. The heterogeneity of thisantigen was confirmed.

Accepted on November 20, 1960